Eva’s Point of View The pack house smells like roasted garlic, warm bread, and too many stories I haven’t heard. The laughter echoes through the stone walls and wood beams like it’s been waiting for generations to stretch its legs. I step inside and nod politely as Kristina waves me in from across the long table. Kostas is already sitting, arguing over something ridiculous with Katerina — I think it’s about whose turn it is to wash the breakfast dishes from yesterday. I sit beside Kristina, and a plate is placed in front of me without question. Grilled fish, lemon potatoes, and bright vegetables dripping in olive oil. It smells like home. Not my home. But someone’s. “Everything alright, dear?” Kristina asks quietly, as the others fall into another round of laughter. I nod once. “Yes. Thank you.” I don’t mention the painting. I don’t tell her about the man who came to life beneath my fingers. I don’t know how to explain him. Instead, I eat slowly. I listen. I smile when it fe
Eva’s Point of View The door clicks softly behind Kristina, and silence returns. The kind that wraps itself around your skin like a damp shawl. Familiar. Too familiar. I stand there for a long time, still holding the canvas as if it weighs more than it should. Then I place it by the window, letting the late afternoon sun spill across it. I open the box of paints. The bristles of the brush are soft, untouched. Waiting. I don’t plan anything. My hands move on their own. I dip the brush in water, swirl it into pale blue. A whisper of sky appears on the canvas. Then deeper blue, layered over it like memory pressing down on joy. The sea begins to take shape, stroke by stroke. Wide. Endless. Alive. I mix in grey now. Not too much. Just enough to show the wind. Just enough to say: this is not paradise. This is a memory of it. I add the curve of the shoreline next — soft and subtle. The sand is warm beige, with hints of burnt gold. Not perfectly even. No real beach is. I paint it mes
Kristina’s Point of View The market is buzzing with end-of-summer life—fishermen yelling about their fresh octopus, old ladies arguing over who makes the best glyko koutaliou, and children running barefoot between olive stands. But I have one mission today. Paint supplies. For a girl who looks like she’s seen war from the inside. I glance at my list. Acrylics in soft tones, thick brushes, sketching pencils, and canvas. The shopkeeper eyes me like I’m about to open an art school. “Not for me,” I say, smiling. “It’s for a guest. A young woman. She… needs to paint.” He nods with a kind of silent understanding and wraps everything up with care. ––– By the time I reach the cabin, the sun is high and the cicadas are screaming like they haven’t taken a break since spring. I knock lightly, balancing the shopping bags on one hip. The door swings open and Eva blinks at me, barefoot, hair loose over her shoulders. “Kalimera,” I greet her. “I come bearing gifts.” Her eyes widen when sh
Eva’s Point of View The sea is the first thing I hear when I wake up. A steady lull, like a lullaby sung by the Earth herself. Waves kiss the shore beyond the window, and the scent of salt lingers in the air like an old memory. I turn, blinking slowly. The sheets are tangled around me, warm and soft. The house is still. A week. That’s how long it’s been since the Goddess brought me here. Since she gave me peace… and silence. Since I asked to forget—at least for a little while. My hand brushes over my belly. Nothing shows yet, but it’s there. A quiet life, flickering like a secret flame. A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts. Then a cheerful voice, muffled but familiar: “Eva? You awake?” I smile despite myself. “Come in.” The door swings open, revealing Kostas, hair messy from the wind, a t-shirt hanging carelessly over his shoulder. “You sleep like a bear,” he teases. “Breakfast’s ready. Thought I’d drag you out before Aunt Kristina sends a search party.” “Thank
Eva’s Point of View The waves call me. After lunch, with my belly full and my heart heavier than I expected, I slip away from the house. The laughter still echoes behind me—Katerina bickering with Kostas, Paris’s low voice, Maria humming as she clears the table. I need the sea. I need silence. The path is familiar now. Olive branches sway above me as I walk down toward the dunes, sandals in hand, toes curling into the warm earth. The beach opens up before me like a memory I never lived—a stretch of soft white sand, water shimmering silver-blue under the summer sun. I sit at the edge, where sand meets sea, and hug my knees to my chest. The wind tangles my hair. My eyes close. Then a voice breaks the stillness. “You always vanish after meals, or is this just a dramatic habit of yours?” I glance up. Kostas. He drops down beside me, a little too close, brushing sand off his pants with a sigh. He’s carrying a peach in one hand and offers it to me. “No pressure. I stole it from Mar
Eva’s Point of View I follow the others into the dining room, still clutching the edge of my napkin like a lifeline. The warmth of the kitchen fades into something quieter here—more formal, more arranged. Two long wooden tables stretch across the room. One is already bustling with chatter—the omegas I just cooked with are slipping into their seats, sharing quiet jokes, passing bowls between them with practiced ease. That’s where I move first. Naturally. I head toward the empty seat at the end of the omega table, but before I can sit, Maria appears beside me with a firm but kind smile. “Oh no, no, not there, kori mou,” she says, placing a gentle hand on my back. “This way.” I blink. “I can sit there, it’s okay—” She cuts me off with a soft laugh. “You can, yes. But you shouldn’t.” Confused, I let her guide me to the larger, more open table across the room. It’s still mostly empty, but the chairs are sturdier, polished, spaced more widely. I hesitate. Maria leans in, h